The Return of Balayage

Balayage: (bah-lay-ah-je) French for "to sweep"

Bursting onto the Parisian fashion scene in the early 70's, the let-your-roots-grow-out look didn't gain popularity in the U.S. until the late 90's.  The coloring technique was the perfect alternative to the uniform look foils provided.  Instead, hairstylists would apply a thin amount of color to their client's roots or let them go au naturel then hand paint lighter hues in a sweeping motion all the way down to the tip, giving hair a chunky yet faded appearance.  The highlighting trend then faded.  Literally.  Recently, however, numerous actresses including Sarah Jessica Parker, Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, and Cameron Diaz, fashionistas like Rachel Bilson and Nicole Richie and countless models such as Gisele Bündchen, Alessandra Ambrosio, and Lily Aldridge have been sporting ombre hair.  But why has it taken celebrities almost 40 years to finally jump on the Balayage bandwagon?  For so long it seemed women would instinctively rush to their stylists for a touch-up the second their roots began to show.  Have we simply gotten lazy?  Or perhaps the 70's trend dominating spring/summer fashion thus far has leapt off the runway and right onto people's scalps.  After all Balayage did define the fashion capital of the world in the 70's.

Lily Aldridge

Jennifer Aniston

Cameron Diaz